Seat-controlled toilet flush and intake valve



Feb. 16 1926.

1,573,160 (3. H. GUNN SEAT CONTROLLED TOILET FLUSH AND INTAKE VALVEFiled June 16, 1924 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Ch arias H. Gtmn ATTORNEYFeb. 16 1926.

C. H. GUNN SEAT CONTROLLED TOILET FLUSH .AND INTAKE VALVE Filed June 16,1924 2 Sheets-Sheet I NVENTOR Charles H- GU ATTORNEY BY QQwAJL,

Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

UNITED TA CHARLES H. GHUNN, or oAKLA-nn, CAL'IFORliTIA.

SEAT-CONTROLLED TOILET Finis and) INTAKE. VALVE.

' Application filed June 16,

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it knownthat I, CHARLEs GUNN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Seat-Controlled ToiletFlush and Intake Valves; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear,.and exact description 01 the same,'reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and .to the characters of reference had thereon,which form a part of this application. This invention relates toimprovements in flush and intake valve structures for toilets, myprincipal object being to provide intake and flush or discharge valvemeans, usable in connectionwith an airtight pressure tank, which valvemeans will be actuated in common but alternately, by the user of thetoilet, in such a manner that while Water is entering the tank throughthe intake, no water can pass out through the flush pipe, and vice\ersa'. This insures that the same quantity of water, and no more,Will'alvvays be used for flushing purposes,-a'nd prevents waste ofwater.

Another object isto provide a control means for the valve structure soarranged that the tank willautomatically fill up onlywhen a person isseated on the toilet, and will also automatically empty or flushwhenever said person rises from the seat. This insures that a flushingaction will be had irrespective of any thoughtfulness, or lack or thesame on the part of the user,,since the valves are actuated without anycon-- scious effort of the user being necessary. A "further object ofthe invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet onewhich will be exceedingly eifective for the purpose for which it isdesigned.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of: parts as will fully appear b a perusal of the followingspecification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the several views: a a Fig. l is a side view of the completestructure as installed in connection with a toilet bowl.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view'of the same. Fig. 3 is a side section of thevalve strucf i 1924. Serial No. 720,211.

F ig. 4 is a vertical sectionon the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan onthe line '5.5

- of Fig. 3.

Fig. is a fragmentary top plan view of the valve Referring now moreparticularly'to the characters ot reference on the drawings, the

numeral'l ,denotesa toilet bowl of ordinary 7 character, hinged to therear end of which is the seat 2. Disposed back of and above the bowl andsecured to awa'll 3 is an air tight tank 4 of suitable design and size.

My improved valve structure, operable with these elements,"comprises acasing 5 threaded at its upper end to screw into the bottom of the tank,and being covered at said end by a wall 6 except for a centrallylocatedta'p'ered valve-seat opening 7 The'lower end of the casing isadapted for connection to a flush-L 8 leading to the bowl let thecustomary place. p

A Water intake pipe 9 is connected to'the casing on one side'thereo'f,and communicates with passage 10 formed in the casing and leading totheupper *en-d oi the same.

The upper end of this passage communicates with a. pipe 11 which isdisposed between the wallb anda cro's'she'ad member 12 above said walland extending diametrally of the casing. This-'crossliead has a passage13 leading from the pipe 11 to the lower face of the head in verticalalinement with the opening 7.

A plunger 14 is mounted within thecasmg, being vertically sli'dable andguided by suitable means 15' in the casing, the plunger being positionedin" concentric 'alinement with the opening 7 and lower termination ofthe passage 1.3 A valve head 16 is mounted on top "of the plunger. Thes-ides ot this head are tapered to fit in the opening 7, hile the upperfacethereof is recessed to receive a valve seatmember17or-rnbberer thelike adapted to make contactwith' the under face of the member 12 tothen close the-pas sage 13. The head 16 is of such a thickness that acertain amount of vertical movement or the plnnger willbe had betweenthe closing of the passage 13 and the "opening 7. The valve head isnormally held in its uppermost position by a compressionspring 18 seatedon the crosshead 12. Astra p' or bar -19 extends over and rests on topof the a strength sufiicient to overc-oinethe pres sure of the down.

.To enable the member 17 tobe removed water tending to force the valveand renewed when necesary without rdisconnecting the casing fromthe-tank, thetank in front of and in horizontal alinement with the valvehead is providedwith a detachable plug 21 of sufficient size to permitof the nsertion of a tool to pry up and remove the 'member 17.. A shortlength of pipe 22,

tipped with arubber bumper. 23, is preferablyunounted with said plug toserve as a stop for the seat 2 when the latter is raised and preventcontact of 'sa1d'seat; withthe tank. V c

To lower the'plunger and valve head from engagement with the intakeopeningto a. seat in the discharge-openingr', I provide a horizontalarm24 fixed in the casing 5 on a shaft 25 extending at right angles,toithe plane of the plunger the free'end" of said arm extending-into aslot26 provided in the plunger.

The outer end the casing, has an arm 27 thereon extending in theopposite direction to the arm 24. On

theouter end ofiarm 27 is :anadjustment screw 28, vertically disposed,"which is adapted to-abut against the free end of a stiff, flat-spring 29rigidly fixed on and proectin rearwardl of theseat 2 :said; seat 1 a: y7

which isthe hinge pin 30 of theseat.

27 is raised and the arm 24 low'ereda sufficient distance to cause rthevalve 16 to seat, in the orifice 7. By'reason of the men'1beri29 being aspring ratherthan an unyieldablepiece, no undue and possibly disastrousstrain is placed on any part inith e event-that the valve should firmlyseat in the discharge opening before :the seat is fully lowered.

The'seat is normally held raised a certain distance, so as to cause thespring 29 to be free of the arm 27 and enablethe spring 18 i to act onand draw the plunger to its upward limit of travel, by suitable springmeans between the seat and the bowl, as shown at 81. The resistance ofthis springis of course overcome when a person occupies the seat.

To insure that when installing these devices, the bowl will always bethe same distance from the valve structure, I provide a plate 32 adaptedto be secured at oneend 'to the bowl in, common with. theseathinges,.and at its other end to fit over the lower end tank and-in the intake,cjome equal. v Assoon as the downwardpressure is re- .moved fromtheseat, the latter is forced up- ,ward by .the spring 31, causing theflush of said shaft, outwardly of of the casing 5 above the flush-Lconnection. In operation, the tank is empty when the seat is in itsnormal semi-raised position, since the flush opening 7 is thenunobstructed as previously set forth. As soonas the seatis loweredby theweight of a person thereon, the flush opening is closed and the intakepassage opened, allowing the tank to fill. Althoughthe person may occupythe seat for a longer time than is necessary for thetank to become full,this will do no harm, since the-tank being an airtight pressurestructure,when filled it cannot overfiow,,and the pressure of the waterin the opening 7' to be opened and theintakepas sage 13 .closed, byreason of the mechanism already! described.- The bowl {will therefore beflushed {until the tank is empty, when nomore water will enterthe sameseat is again depressed.

' From the foregoing description it will be until the readily seen thatI have produced such a .device as substantially fulfills the objects ofthe invention as'setforthherein.

While this specification sets forth in detail: the'present and;preferred construction of the device, still in practice"such dev-iationsfromsuch det'ail may be resorted to as do not form a departure fromthe spi-ritof the invention, as defined by the appended claims. i

.7 Having thus described myinventiou what I claim as new and useful anddesire to so- I 'cure by Letters Patentis: and s ringfornnng a lever thefulcrum of I 1.-A combinedtoilet-tank intake and flush valve comprisinga casing, an orificed '1h1s spring 18 so disposed that when the seatlsabutted against the'bowl, the arm .wall across the upper end thereof,said up- ;per end 'beingadaptedfor direct connection to {tfltftllkwherebythe orifice will open into the latter, a discharge'outlet at thelower end of the casing, intake passage means ex tending inside thecasing from one -side jthereof below the tank to a point above the end.walland facing the orifice therein, and a closure member interposedbetween said ori'ficeand the adjacent end of the intake passage.

2. A combined toilet-tank intake and flush valve comprising a casing, anorificed wall across the upper end thereof, said up-- per end beingadapted for direct connection minating above and; facing said orifice, a

common closure member interposed between sa d-orlficeandad acent end ofthe intake ,-;passage, and means for operating the closure member fromone aside of thecasing whereby to pernnt the discharge outlet bepipewill merely being' in vertical alinement with the upperend orifice topermit of a straight and unobstructed flow of water through the casingfrom the tank being had when the orifice closure is moved from the same.

A combined toilet intake and flush valve comprising a casing, anorificed wall across the casino; at one end and a discharge outlet atthe opposite end, a crosshead mounted on and outside the casing inspaced relation to the wall, intake passage means leading from one sideof the easing into said crosshead and terminating in an opening facingthe wall opening, a valve memhen movable between said openings toalternatoly close the same, rods attached to said member and projecting;past the crosshead, a connection between the outer ends of said rods,and a spring between said connection and the crosshead. v

4:. A combined toilet intake and flush valve comprising a casing, anorificed wall across the casing at one end and a discharge outlet at theopposite end, a crosshead mounted on and outside the casing in spacedrelation to the wall, intake passage means leading from one side of theeasing into said crosshead and terminating in an opening facing the wallopening, a valve member movable between said openings to alternatelyclose the same, spring means mounted beyond the crosshead andoperatively connected to the valve member to cause the same to normallyclose the intake opening, and means applied to the valve member insidethe casing' for moving said member in the opposite direction at will.

5. A combined toilet intake and flush comprising a casing, adapted atits upper and lower ends for direct connection to the bottom of a tankand a flush pipe respectively, a wall across the top of the casing,having an orifice in line with the lower endopening oi the casing,intake passage means provided as a unit with the casing and leading upinside the same from a point intermediate its ends to a termination inan opening above and facing the wall orifice, a common closure means torsaid intake and wall openings positioned therebetween, and control meansfor said closure means mounted in the side of the casing below the upperend thereof and operatively connectec to the closure means.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

CHARLES H. GUNN.

